Michael Zumstein

NGO Facilities, Lokichokio, Kenya

Michaël Zumstein (b. 1970, France) has been a member of the Oeil Public agency since 2001. He divides his time between assignments for the French and foreign press and his personal projects. His work focuses on the “relationships between Africa and the West” and he is especially interested in the situation in the Great Lakes region of Central Africa. His work has been published extensively in France and internationally.

About the Photograph:

“Kenyan town faces loss of livelihood after Sudan peace deal: Lokichokio has thrived on business generated by humanitarian aid organisations but soon they may move out. Lokichokio, in northern Kenya, is no ordinary town. For the Past 16 years it has hosted one of the world’s largest humanitarian operations, growing from a tiny, arid frontier post of fewer than 1,000 people to a bustling logistical and transit hub of 12,000 – largely working for international aid groups (NGOs) and UN agencies delivering hundreds of millions of dollars of relief to war-ravaged southern Sudan. However, Lokichokio faces challenging times. The southern Sudanese rebels and the Khartoum government recently signed a treaty to end a 21-year conflict, a move that should enable aid agencies to transfer operations to the area they serve without fear of being shot or bombed. For Lokichokio – which has flourished in a time of war – peace could mean a return to obscurity.”